OPINION

Why L.A. Is Synonym for Disaster Mike Davis, Mike Davis is the author of "City of Quartz: Excavating the Future of Los Angeles." This is an excerpt from his new book "Ecology of Fear: Los Angeles and the Imagination of Disaster." A review of the work appears in today's Book Review

A Picaresque Political Career Lawrence Weschler, Lawrence Weschler, a staff writer at the New Yorker, is the author of "Calamities of Exile: Three Nonfiction Novellas," one of which explores the fate of Jan Kavan

The Monroe Doctrine, Chinese-Style Robert A. Manning, Robert A. Manning, former State Department policy advisor, is a senior fellow and director of Asian studies at the Council on Foreign Relations

Clinton's Safety Net William Schneider, William Schneider, a contributing editor to Opinion, is a political analyst for CNN

A Gusher of Illegal Weapons Jeffrey Boutwell, Jeffrey Boutwell, who directs the program on international security studies at the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, is writing a book on small arms and light weapons in Palestinian and Israeli societies

It Still Rings True: No Man Is Above Law Kenneth L. Khachigian, Kenneth L. Khachigian is a veteran political strategist and former White House speech writer who practices law in Orange County. His column appears here every other week

Charter Reform: a Paradox Rather Than a Panacea TOM HOGEN-ESCH, Tom Hogen-Esch, a USC doctoral student in political science, is a researcher for the elected Los Angeles charter reform commission. His positions do not necessarily reflect those of the commission